Whom He Gave His Heart to
by WhimsicalAdoration
Summary: A story of unrequited love, hurt and emotional turmoil. Emilia encounters one of the kindest people she's ever met, and soon finds herself developing feelings she should never feel for him- after all, she was nothing but the pitiful little girl that he gave his heart to. (Story isn't as shitty as the summary. Believe me! I don't know where I'm going with this so read and review!)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One **

**The atmosphere of the small bakery was pleasantly stuffy and warm, overwhelmed by the scent of various baked goods. It was crowded with racks among racks of different pastries and breads, warm and soft from their recent extraction from the oven working at full capacity in the back kitchen. The room was archaic in design, adobe walls cracked with peeling paint, limestone tiles chipped, adding a sort of quaint charm to it. **

**In the back kitchen, a middle aged couple worked duly, kneading bread and sticking rolled up pieces of it into the burning oven. **

**"****Emilia, we need more flour. Senora Garcia has an order of wedding cookies that need to be ready by two." **

**"****Yes Tio! I'll be right there!" called said girl, scampering into the kitchen minutes later with a sack of flour. **

**Her uncle wiped the sweat of his brow with a damp handkerchief before grabbing the sack of flour from her and mumbling a thank you. The sound of tinkling bells evoked in the background and Emilia's aunt looking up from her position near the oven.**

**"****Go see who's there, I don't want anyone stealing bread like last time." **

**"****Yes Tia." she sighed, exiting the kitchen. **

**She took her place at the sales counter and leaned on it, hands tucked under her chin as she looked around. She noticed the top of a wavy haired head poking from above a tall rack and she narrowed her eyes, trying to make out the rest of its features through the rack's slits. The owner of the bistre colored waves poked their head out from behind their hiding place and smiled cheekily at Emilia, startling her. **

**"****Excuse me miss, what's the sweetest bread you have for sale today?" **

**The young man looked at her earnestly with bright eyes, awaiting her response. She finally gathered her coherent thoughts together and pointed to a rack in the corner of the bakery. **

**"****Try the horns, they're filled with custard and they're rolled in sugar." She offered and looked down at her hands as she waited to ring him up. **

**She finally looked up when she heard a tin tray slam onto the counter. She stared at it; it was piled with sweet sugar horns.**

**"****That's so much...," she murmured, still staring at it absent-mindedly.**

**"****I know, but I do like sweet bread. It looks good, I've never tried it before."**

**She flicked her gaze to the young man that stood before her, finally noticing and taking in his features. He wore a wool sweater, a stark mustard yellow with a mahogany pattern over a white dress shirt and black tie. She noticed that he seemed rather fashionable, judging from the way he wore his belted slacks- tight, not relaxed, hugging his impressionably muscular thighs. His thick brown hair wasn't shorn and slathered in pomade like the other boys from this region of the city, coming to a speculation that he wasn't from around here, he looked too… expensive. Roaming her gaze from his clothing to his face, she realized he had been smirking at her.**

**"****Sorry… that's just… a really nice sweater. Where'd you get it?" She stammered pathetically, pulling out a large paper bag and a pair of tongs from underneath the counter, and began to gently place his outrageous amount of bread into it. She didn't hear him chuckle at her flustered state and failed to hear where he got his sweater, too enwrapped in her own embarrassment to even look him in the eye. She finished bagging his bread, and accepted the appropriate amount of money. He thanked her, and she evoked a loud, "have a nice day!" She turned even redder than she already was and scampered to the back room once he had left to curse herself into her apron.**

**"****What's the matter with you?" Her aunt inquired, stepping into the small room; her face and apron were covered in flour and her hands were caked with dried up dough.**

**"****Nothing. Some guy walked in and bought an entire tray of horns. Here's the money, it's too much to keep in the money box." **

**Emilia handed her aunt the small wad of peso notes, and she giggled when she finished counting them, looking at her bewildered expression.**

**"****He bought almost twenty dollars worth of bread. That's ridiculous."**

**"****I know! That's what I was thinking!" Emilia exclaimed, adding unnecessarily, "He looked pretty well to do, to be honest. Maybe he was just buying at as a sort of souvenier?"**

**"****Well… whatever the reason, this is good for business. God knows we need it" Her aunt sighed tiredly, retrieving a box of starch from the self that stood behind her niece and exiting. **

**"****I wonder who that man was." Emilia mused, staring down at her feet, her brow furrowed in deep thought.**

**Another day at the bakery proved to Emilia that her life was destined for nothing but a meager, meaningless routine. Wake up at dawn to help her aunt and uncle prepare the ingredients for the bread of the day, checking the bread of the previous day to see if it had gone stale, take account of the inventory etc. It proved to be stressful and laborious. She wondered how her uncle ever made money to keep the bakery running; people didn't exactly flock to the doors to buy bread, and the prices couldn't be raised because otherwise, people just wouldn't buy. She figured he made most of his money off of special orders for events and parties, God only knows how many are held a month. Even so, it still didn't seem like enough. Her uncle was struggling to survive rather than achieving the rewards of being one's boss. **

**The day carried on tediously. Only a handful of people showed up and bought a modest amount of bread. She made a mental note to tell her uncle to bake less bread for each day; it'd be better for business. When the sun began to set, Emilia saw that no one would have a need to come in and buy anything, and walked over to one of the racks that held an entire tray of fluffy shell bread, the pressed powdered sugar designed to leave a shell pattern on top of the round little buns. She grabbed two and snuck back to her place behind the counter. She had brought one up to her lips when she heard the tinkling of bells break the steady silence of the atmosphere. **

**"****Are you supposed to be eating the merchandise?" **

**She frowned and brought the sweet bread away from her face. She pursed her lips at the well dressed man in front of her.**

**"****Did you finish the bread from yesterday?" She asked incredulously.**

**"****No, but I wanted to try something new. Recommend anything?" **

**She furrowed her brow at him, and then looked at the two pieces of bread she had in hand and held one out to him.**

**"****Try this one, it's pretty good. They're pretty popular." She reasoned, bringing the same piece of bread to her lips when he accepted her offer. She took a bite and smiled at how the sugar stuck to the back of her teeth. She made a face as she tried to push it off with her tongue, her mouth puckered into a small o. **

**"****Oh my goodness," The young man laughed, "You should have seen your looked scrunched up."**

**She giggled and shrugged her shoulders, and continued to eat her bread. **

**"****You know, I never did get your name." He broached, smiling at her, revealing artificially straightened teeth.**

**"****Emilia. My name's Emilia." She stated simply, her cheeks beginning to grow red. **

**"****How'd you get the name Emilia? I mean… not to be offensive, but I'd figure you'd have a name like Maria, or Juanita, or even Xochitl."**

**She stopped her endeavor in eating and looked up at him, incredulous.**

**"****Well, if you must know, ****_mister_****," she uttered the word icily, "My mother was a native from Oaxaca and my father was a Spanish missionary. They married and he named me, after his mother I guess. I don't know, I didn't really know him."**

**She took a large bite out of the bun and chewed violently, looking away from him. **

**"****Hey, calm down girlie, I was just asking. What's your full name?" He held his hands up defensively and softened his rigid stance when she swallowed and turned back to him.**

**"****Emilia Irasema Pardave. That is my full name, now you've gotten quite a bit of information from me, what's yours?" She retorted, crossing her arms, a small bit of bread still clasped in her slender fingers.**

**"****Antonio Fernandez Carriedo." He uttered through a mouthful of bread.**

**She grimaced slightly, but giggled when she realized he did it on purpose. He was smiling at her and eating the bread, almost too dashingly, if that were possible. **

**"****Are you living in Tijuana?" She finally had the audacity to pry more information from him.**

**Antonio shook his head and took another bite of bread. **

**"****I'm from Spain. Seville to be exact. Know where that's at?" He asked, almost smarmy.**

**"****Isn't that in Andalusia?" **

**He seemed taken aback before leaning down on the counter that served as a thin barricade between them.**

**"****Yes. How'd you know?"**

**"****My dad was a Spanish missionary. He had my mom teach me the geography of his homeland. I'm not as dumb as you think I am, you know." **

**He laughed heartily, his eyes screwed shut as his shoulders shook. **

**"****I never thought you were, not even for a second. But tell me, how old are you?"**

**"****Fourteen."**

**"****What grade?" **

**"****I'm not going to school right now. But if I were to, I'd be starting high school."**

**She wondered why she was giving away so much information, seeing as though she had encountered so many dishonest, disturbed people in her short years living in such a bustling city, but looking at his seemingly genuine smile and hearing his gentle voice made her put a little trust into him; at least she wasn't becoming too comfortable around him.**

**She finally countered his badgering with her own set of questions.**

**"****Why are you here, out of all places?"**

**He raised an eyebrow and asked what she meant.**

**"****Yeah, well, I mean look at you. You look… what's the word for it… put together," she began, gesturing to his tailored slacks and crimson sweater vest, "You don't look like you would live in a city like this."**

**"****Well, chiquita," the endearment rolled easily off the tongue, "I'm here for business. My dad owns an agriculture company, and since he's sick, he's depending on me to finish some work for him."**

**He puffed out his chest and placed his hands on his hips.**

**"****Uh huh… and is that why you're hanging out at an obscure bakery instead of doing whatever it is you need to do?"**

**"****It doesn't require much to do," He countered from her condescending tone, "All I have to do is sign some papers and make sure things are running smoothly. The rest is taken care of by my father's assistant."**

**She huffed and blew a stray strand of unruly hair from her face. **

**"****Sounds like fun," She retorted, before looking away for a split second at wall of racks full of pastries, "Well, are you gonna buy bread or not?" **

**He chuckled and nodded, and before he turned away from her to collect his choice of bread, he looked her in the eye, his usual cheeriness replaced with sobriety. **

**"****You didn't tell me why you don't go to school."**

**"****My uncle needs help here. Going to school will get in the way of business."**

**Antonio nodded in understanding and turned to grab a tray. Minutes later, he returned to the counter with the entirety of the tray covered in shell bread. She rung him up and before she said goodbye, she asked him why he bought so much bread.**

**"****Well, you did say your uncle needed help."**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Antonio's visits became frequent; after he'd buy his copious amount of bread, he'd stay for a while and strike up conversation with Emilia as she worked. As the days progressed, she found out more about him. He was eighteen, practicing his father's business and engaged. **

**"****To who?" Emilia had asked one day as she swept the cracked linoleum. **

**"****The daughter of my father's business partner." Was the simple reply.**

**"****Well… surely she's got a name."**

**"****Oh, yes. Agatha. Agatha Van Damme. Pretty name, isn't it?" He had breathed wistfully, his eyes gazing into the distance.**

**Emilia looked at him, her brows furrowed in confusion, and for a brief second felt her heart deflate.**

**Two months passed by, and Antonio was still frequenting the bakery, revealing that he had no need to stay anymore; he had finished the task of completing his father's job.**

**"****Then why are you still here? Don't you miss your fiance?" Emilia questioned, lounging against some worn out stairs that stood in the vast variety of differently structured buildings of the neighborhood. **

**"****I do, but she's in Belgium, studying to become a teacher. She's good with kids you know, I think you'd like her." **

**"****But why are you still here?" Emilia pressed on. **

**"****I like the city… it's rugged and you can get away with a lot. Just the other night, I saw a group of boys light a bunch of kindling in the middle of a neighborhood, mind you, and just chatted around it and drank merrily. It was crazy, and I realize that… they didn't need much to have a good time. Yeah, that's why I think I like it. The minimalism."**

**The petite girl shrugged and sipped on the coca-cola he had bought for them, giving an offhand comment about how stuff like that happens all the time. **

**"****Wouldn't you get tired of the same thing though? I know I do."**

**He ruffled her unruly dark hair and laughed.**

**"****I'm not just wandering around the same places, you know. I'm actually exploring and taking in my surroundings. For example, look at the buildings around you," he gestured to the makeshift architect, tall, dangerous looking dwellings built upon the rolling hills of the land, "you think everything looks the same, but it has its own distinction, doesn't it?"**

**Emilia stared out into the horizon, its stagnant line marred with buildings that looked like specks in the distance.**

**"****You do have a point. I never noticed that the Sanchezes made a window out of an old door." **

**Antonio chuckled and sat next to her on the stairs from his spot on a broken pedestal. **

**"****Look, smarty, I'm talking about how many opportunities life throws at you. You gotta take those opportunities and make the most of them."**

**She nodded, not entirely sure where he was getting at.**

**"****When you told me you didn't go to school," He continued, "I was crushed. I feel like you're too smart to have something like that taken away from you."**

**He shot a glance at her to see if she was paying attention, and sure enough, her dark almond eyes were fixated on him. **

**"****Well, what I'm trying to get at is," he fumbled with his words as he tried to process his thoughts, "I would like if you come live with me, so you can get proper schooling. I'd like you to think about it-"**

**"****Yes."**

**"****What?" He looked baffled, and his features finally softened when he stared down at the determined looking girl, "Emilia, you can't just say yes to something so delicate and complex. We have to to talk to your aunt and uncle, and then there's the living arrangements, but those won't be a problem-"**

**"****Antonio, I said yes already! I don't think you realize how badly I want to leave here. I don't want this to be all I know- waking up early in the morning, having to do the same thing over and over, knowing that that's all I'm going to do for the rest of my life. Before he left- my father, he said to try to make something of myself, he knew what the world was like, he traveled all over it! I want to do that too- it's just, it's nice to have options, you know?"**

**She choked back the last of her words and looked away from him and stared out into the rudimentary landscape. Dried up mountainsides, crackling foliage with the occasional planted tree and unkempt garden, to her, it was an empty wasteland littered with broken hopes and dreams.**

**"****I see… but we do need to talk to your aunt and uncle. I want this for you as much as you do. My father has taken in other kids as well, and now they're attending various schools. You're still a little girl-"**

**"****I'm fifteen now. My birthday was in September."**

**"****Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, his voice dripping with incredulity.**

**"****Didn't seem important, I never celebrate it."**

**"****Oh- well, I guess now you're a young lady… but you still have a lot ahead of you. You know that right?"**

**Emilia nodded her head and twiddled her thumbs. **

**"****Well, want to talk to them now?" **

**He stood up, and held out his hand to help her up, and she was grateful for her tan skin, as it hid her blush. They walked together, chatting idly as they made their way to the bakery, Emilia fidgeting with the hem of her embroidered apron. **

**"****You know, I always see you wearing that apron. Even when you're not working." Antonio looked down at its multicolored flowered pattern, contrasting against the weathered white linen.**

**"****It's comfortable and it hides the fact that this dress is too big for me." She stated simply, almost quietly.**

**"****Ah…," He suddenly regretted pointing out her attire, "It's pretty."**

**She stifled bitter laughter and looked up at him.**

**"****It was my mother's. It's the only thing I really have that's mine, you know? To tell you the truth, I feel like my aunt and uncle put up with me. I've been living with them for about three years now, and it still feels like I'm not welcomed. I know they love me, but to a certain extent… I know that the only person that could ever put up with me was my mother…"**

**She trailed off softly, and replaced her somber demeanor with a bright smile, one of the brightest he's seen since he first started spending time with her outside the bakery. **

**"****I don't know, since you showed up, things started getting better." **

**The sincerity in her voice made him stop walking. No one had ever said that to him, not even his fiance, who only spoke of how happy he made her. Life had always been good for Agatha, so there was no need for her to voice false serendipity. But to the petite girl- now the fragile little woman that looked at him with so much hope and adoration, he knew he was doing something even God would smile upon. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**When Antonio had broached the subject of having Emilia move in with him, her aunt had reacted less than reasonably. **

**"****What do you want with our niece, you pervert?" Her aunt had shouted when he sat them down at their kitchen table. **

**"****Graciela please, let the man talk." Her uncle interjected, before calmly turning to the distraught young man sitting across from them, "Now give me one good reason why I should give Emilia to you."**

**"****Well, I mean, I would be able to provide for Emilia. Give her housing, food, clothes, all that stuff. Especially schooling. She could go to the school of her choice- and I know that you might think I'm taking an extra hand away at the bakery. Believe me, I've thought this out for a while. But what do you say- if you agree to let Emilia come live with me, I'll wire three hundred dollars to you, every month for any expenses you have."**

**His tone had turned from flustered to calm and collected, revealing just how poised he could be when discussing business. And from the look on her uncle's wrinkled face, brows furrowed and lips pursed in deep concentration, it had worked.**

**"****Make it three fifty and you have yourself a deal, Mr. Carriedo." He stated gruffly.**

**Antonio nodded, a look of relief breaking through his faux tonicity. They shook hands on it and then they turned to their topic of discussion, who had been sitting at a corner of the table, quietly.**

**"****Are you sure you want to do this Emilia," Her uncle asked gently, looking over at his wife who had been staring down at the table with a hand clasped over her mouth since she had been silenced. **

**The young girl nodded, affirming her decision.**

**"****No use asking about it now, tio," she evoked somberly, "You already shook on it."**

**Her uncle looked taken aback, but nonetheless hugged his niece. After about a minute or so, Antonio broke the bittersweet moment with the sound of him clearing his throat.**

**"****Emilia, we're leaving this Friday. That should give you enough time to say goodbye and get your stuff sorted out. I've got to get going, I have some matters to take care of."**

**Antonio hugged her goodbye and exited the tiny living quarters that was attached to the bakery. As if on cue, Emilia's aunt bolted up from her position on the table and evoked a shrill shriek in vexation. **

**"****I cannot believe you gave up our niece- your sister's daughter for three hundred and fifty dollars! Just like that! To a man we hardly know! He could be sick in the head for all we know, and you agreed to let her live with him!" **

**She wrung her hands, crying out a string of hysterical curses, before Emilia silenced her by slapping her palm on the table to draw her attention.**

**"****This is a good thing. I know Antonio would never do anything like that. He's kind. And if he were crazy, wouldn't you think he would have done something by now?"**

**Her aunt turned her attention to her and stared blankly, almost as if in a trance. **

**"****This is a win-win," she continued, as if talking to no one in particular, "I get proper schooling, and you get money to support yourselves, and besides, it's one less mouth to feed!"**

**"****I thought you were better than that," the distraught woman turned to her quiet husband, "You've always been too proud to beg. But some rich guy shows up and offers you a bit of money and you suddenly throw all morals out the window."**

**She jumped away from him, startled, when he sent a heavy fist careering down onto the poor, rickety table. **

**"****Dammit, look around you!" He gestured to the barren, cramped expanse of their living room, "We're living in a nightmare. We're losing more money than we're making. We can't support ourselves, not at the way things are playing out."**

**His face scrunched up, fighting back the urge to cry.**

**"****I just can't anymore. I know, I would have never accepted money years ago, but this is just too much to bear. You're my wife- it's my duty as your husband to take care of you. Understand that!" **

**She looked stunned, and looked at her niece for any help, but was met with a cold gaze. **

**"****He's right tia, he's only doing what's right." **

**Her aunt looked helpless, and sat down at the table to allow herself to think clearly. **

**"****I feel like we should've discussed this further. I mean, we don't even know where he lives, what he does, who he's affiliated with. Just because he claims to have money doesn't mean this is the best decision for Emilia."**

**Her aunt pressed her index fingers to her temples and began to mumble inaudible jargon.**

**"****I need all his information, I know you know it. You spend all your free time with him."**

**Emilia nodded and sat down next to her. **

**"****Well, he's from Seville, you know, from Spain. And his dad owns an agricultural business. Apparently, he's taken in other kids and helped them with schooling and stuff. Oh, and he's engaged..."**

**As Emilia carried on, her aunt listened attentively and interrupted to ask questions, to which Emilia answered dutifully. **

**"****You seem to know a lot about him." Her uncle interjected.**

**"****How could she not? Look at how those two are always together."**

**Emilia felt her cheeks heat up; had it really been that obvious? She spent the rest of the night talking with them, ensuring them that her future was secure now.**

**Friday came, almost too soon. And Emilia felt that the air around her was slowly suffocating her; she was filled with anxiety and agitation. Clutching two small suitcases, she waited patiently for Antonio to pick her up and board their flight. She had asked him the day prior whether they were moving to Seville or not, but he chuckled and ruffled her hair.**

**"****I told you I'm ****_from _****Seville, I don't live there anymore."**

**He had explained that he had moved from Seville when his father began to engage in business in Latin America. He moved around a lot, living in almost every country in South and Central America.  
****"****But now, now that I've experienced Mexico for what it is. I've bought a house in Mexico City. It's gated and it overlooks this big plaza, it's wonderful. Agatha plans on moving in with us after she completes her schooling. You'd get your own room and maybe I'll even get you a dog- oh, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's just get there first." **

**The flight took hours, Emilia never having been on a plane before, looked out the window every now and then, pressing herself against her seat when she saw how small everything was below her. **

**"****We're not going to fall, are we?" She asked fearfully, clutching his hand almost too hard.**

**"****Relax Emilia, we're not going to fall," He soothed, trying to stifle his laughter, "We're going to be there in a couple of hours. Just get some sleep or something."**

**He continued to hold her hand as she forced herself to take a nap, her head hanging to one side as she finally fell into a deep slumber. Antonio gently placed her head on his shoulder and moved the unruly locks of her hair away from her face. She certainly looked peaceful, and it finally gave him a chance to study her face. He wondered why she looked the way she did, physically different from her aunt and uncle. She lacked the straight, inky black hair they did, the only similarities were her thin, subtly hooked nose and cinnamon colored skin. Her hair poured over her shoulders in wayward curls of deep brunette and her facial structure was prominent; a square, yet feminine jaw blended with soft, red hued cheeks. **

**"****Must be the father's genes." He mumbled, tearing his gaze away from her, a guilty blush creeping on his face for staring. **

**He let go of her hand and sighed, musing whether or not they'd be happy with the sudden transition. He turned to Emilia again, hoping she and Agatha would get along- the girl proved to be no trouble, but it was his fiance he was worried about. He figured she shouldn't feel threatened, his love for her was unconditional and infinite- at least he hoped it would be. He hadn't seen her in months, and wondered what she was doing in Belgium, she'd seldom write to him. As his contemplations delved deeper into their relationship, his thought process was interrupted by the soft snoring coming from Emilia. He couldn't stifle his laughter anymore, he broke into a loud guffaw, his shoulders shaking heartily, waking her in the process.**

**"****Are we here?" She evoked quickly, looking startled and bewildered as she looked around the plane frantically. **

**"****No," He answered between laughs, "But I didn't know you snore."**

**"****I do? Is it bad?" **

**"****No."**

**"****What do I sound like?"**

**"****Like… like an adorable lawnmower."**

**He couldn't protect himself from the flustered retorts and flurry of fists that ensued afterwards.**


End file.
